In Love and Larceny
by Saloma
Summary: It's Lily's 6th year at "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" - strange things is happening and it's up to James, Remus, Sirius and of cuase Lily to sort it out.
1. The Brave at Heart

Chapter I // The Brave at Heart  
  
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Authors note: First chapter, there will be a plot later on *nodnod* and of cause I don't  
own these lovely characters - I'm just borrowing them from the lovely author J.K. Rowling  
(with exception for prospective oc's (in this case this far that means Linda and Thomas)).  
But I would love to have them all to myself but I know that is impossible...  
  
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.  
  
The whistle blew - the Hogwarts Express were about to leave.  
  
Lily looked out the window, her mother wasn't there but she saw a lot of other parents  
waving off their children. Hers wasn't there while the barrier between platform 10 and  
9 at the King's Cross station didn't let mugglers to enter platform 9 3/4. Her mother  
and sister had said goodbye to her outside the barrier like all the other years.  
This were her 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
The door of the compartment opened. It was a boy her age that looked in through the door.  
'Hi Lily, could I sit here?' he smiled at her; Remus was a boy in her school house -  
Gryffindor. His whole appearance were wolf like but his heart was made out of gold.  
  
Lily nodded at him, even though she never really liked his best friends James Potter and  
Sirius Black she somehow liked this boy 'Sure Remus.'  
  
He sat down opposite her and didn't speak, just looked out the window.  
  
'Feels good going back after summer'  
  
The boy nodded, his yellow moon shaped eyes looked kindly at her. 'Yes it will, but  
Snape will still be an ass.'  
  
'What is it about him you hate' she had herself never really like Severus Snape - but  
still never hated the guy.  
  
Remus sighed, he really didn't know 'He's kind of annoying, but I wouldn't say I hated  
him...' he looked at her with a guilty expression on his face. 'Snape is just Snape, he  
doesn't like me so I don't know...'  
  
She knew what he meant, she had seen it million times when Snape had expressed his  
opinion on things he had no right to do so; and how many times he had picked fights  
with Remus best friend Sirius. She just smiled and looked out the window.  
  
The an open moor were outside the window, sometimes a bush or a lonely tree flashed by  
the window. It was midday and the sun stood high in the sky.  
  
Lily heard the compartment door open and looked around; James Potter and Sirius Black  
were standing there peering into the sunlit compartment.  
  
'Nice choice of date area you have found yourself' Sirius smiled as he walked in 'Mind  
if we join your little *family*?' he were smiling with a smile that annoyed both Lily  
and Remus.  
  
'It's not really what you think...' Remus begun.  
  
'What is I'm thinking?' he said with a superior smile.  
  
'Oh, I really thought you were smart enough to read you own mind - ah, well I was  
wrong. Good day gently men.' she said with a mischievous smile and left the  
compartment to find her best friend Linda Verus.  
  
James felt his cheeks go warm when Lily pushed him away from the door to leave the  
compartment.  
  
'Sorry, 'bout that' Sirius said 'We'll find you another girlfriend'  
  
'Lily isn't my girlfriend, no more that *you* are' Remus said. These were the first  
word he had uttered to his two best friends since they said goodbye at King's Cross  
before the summer. 'How has you summer been Sirius?' he changed subject.  
  
'Great, I've been in Canada with my dad. Not any summer feeling there, if you know  
what I mean.' he turned to talk to Potter but noticed him still looking out the door  
in the direction Lily left. 'I think Potter fancies the Flower.' he said and laughed.  
'You is a lucky guy I tell you, she is as far as I know - no ones girlfriend - better  
than that Ravenclaw you were after last term.'  
  
Remus noticed that James looked questioning at him and just shook his head 'I'm as free  
as a bird, don't worry.'  
  
'I'm not in love' James tried but noticed that both of his friends were looking at him  
as to say //sure-why-are-your-cheeks-so-rosy//  
  
Remus found this very amusing but he felt sorry for James 'So how were you summer James,  
anything you want to share with us?'  
  
Sirius gave Remus a hurt smile, he would have liked to milk this for at least some more  
minutes but he knew that Remus was doing the right and most "humane" thing by changing  
the subject once again to the summer vacation.  
  
'Oh - nothing really, the usual. Me and dad went so a Quidditch game and, well not  
much.' it felt good to see that both Sirius and Remus smiled at him with real smiles.  
  
'Same thing here - I wish I were Sirius. Canada - WoW' he looked excited to hear  
everything 'Did you see any dragons?'  
  
'Dragons!?! I will tell you about mountains of crystals and diamonds' he gesticulate  
with his arms widely and his face was blessed with a broad smile 'And about monsters  
far more frightening that "dragons"...'  
  
He didn't get any longer before a boy with black greasy hair started to talk behind him  
in the doorway. 'I beet you couldn't see the different between mountain salt and  
diamonds Black - and monsters for that matter, we wouldn't be *blessed* with your  
presence if there were any' Severus voice were dead cold and the words was bathing in  
irony. Two boys snickered behind him, those were Crabbe and Goyle.Two boys that not many  
knew the names of and who's brains seamed to have turned into fat. By Snape's side a boy  
with silver blond hair were standing smirking, this was Lucius Malfoy.  
  
'We are so happy you are back safe - Black. Who else would tell these amusing made up  
stories?' he said waving is left hand with a gesture of indifference.  
  
All three knew that this meant trouble, it wasn't often you saw Snape in the company of  
those three. Snape was bad because he had a way of bullying the weaker or making remarks  
on people he didn't like, he wasn't afraid to lose points because he started to fight  
with other boys. Malfoy on the other hand saw himself to be more that the people around  
him. Crabbe and Goyle were his "soldiers" who did all his "dirty work". When he himself  
come to say things it often meant something bad.  
  
'If you have the chance to drop by out compartment later you'll find something very  
peculiar' Snape said with a smile that gave the three a very unpleasant feeling.  
  
***  
  
They were almost at Hogwarts when James, Sirius and Remus decided to see what every was  
so "peculiar" about something in the compartment of the Slytherin boys.  
  
James were almost chocked to find Lily in it, she was sitting and leaning her head  
against the window - bored to the look of it. Next to here were her best friend and room  
mate Linda who seemed to be in a deep conversation with Lucius Malfoy and the Slytherin  
prefect Thomas Jacobs.  
  
Lily looked up from her boring position opposite Severus Snape and noticed the funny  
looking expression on Sirius face and the look of horror in James', 'Excuse me,' she  
said and stood 'I'll see you later Linnie, okej?' she decided that she wouldn't get any  
more of an answer from her friend that the nod she was given and walked out of the  
compartment.  
  
'Explain yourself' it was James who spoke - the line was so unlike him that she would  
have laughed if not his face had looked so - the look was hard to describe, he looked  
both angry and hurt.  
  
'Why I was in there?' she smiled and looked down on the ground. Then she leaned closer  
to the boys and lifted her head up, still smiling gentle; and with only a wisped she  
spoke 'Linda has a crush on Thomas' then she leaned back and and smiled mysteriously.  
  
'With *that* idiot?' Sirius said in an hush voice.  
  
'Seem like it, and if you asks her... she would say that he's a genius'  
  
'You think he is?' Remus asked from behind Sirius.  
  
'No,' she said in a soft laugh, 'I think he is a moron. But Linda likes him - and really  
if you look at him there is nothing wrong with the appearance, is there?'  
  
All three of them looked disgust at her.  
  
'Oh guys, common he doesn't look bad' her eyes turned dreamy but she snapped right out  
of it, 'But of cause look isn't everything...' she said and walked back to the  
compartment where she originally had been sitting with Remus, but had left when Sirius  
and James had turned up.  
  
***  
  
'You don't mind?' she asked when the boys turned up after a couple of minutes. 'I couldn't  
stand their self-righteousness any longer.'  
  
'They are that bad - hu?' Sirius said and sat himself down next to her. Both James and  
Remus nodded and sat down opposite them.  
  
'Worse than "that bad", I didn't know how we all fitted in there - their egos took most  
of the room...' she sighed and started once again to look out the window.  
  
'Wonder what kind of song the Sorting hat will sing this year?' Remus said out of the blue  
'The one last year was very witty, but the year before' he shook his head.  
  
They all knew he had said it to start a conversation, but it was good enough even though  
the sorting hat song wasn't any of their favourite subject.  
  
All first year students had to go trough with it, be sorted into one of the four school  
houses - Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Slytherin. This was taken care of by a  
special hat that once had belonged to Godric Gryffindor; who together with Helga  
Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw he built Hogwarts School of Witchcraft  
and Wizardry. Each of the four like different things in their students, so four school  
houses were built for the different students. To make it easier to sort students in, they  
gave Godric's hat some brains so it could chose. This hat had been with the school all  
these year. The first years stepped up in front of all the houses and had to put on the  
hat, after a few minutes it shouted out the name of the house the student had been place  
in. The four of them, Lily, James, Remus and Sirius were in Gryffindor house. The students  
in this house were brave at hearts. Malfoy, Snape, Crabbe and Goyle on the other hand were  
Slytherins - they didn't care who they did hurt just as they got what they wanted in the  
end. As to the other housed Hufflepuffs were loyal, patient and were not afraid of work;  
Ravenclaws were merry and liked to learn new things, they were the wise ones.  
  
'Well we're about to find out' Lily said as the train stopped at Hogwarts.  
  
As they came out on the platform they heard a familiar voice tell the first years to come  
with him to the boats. This was Hagrid the Hogwarts Gamekeeper, he was huge but kind. He  
had once been a student, but in his third year he had been expelled. Professor Dumbledore  
had made sure that he could stay at Hogwarts as Gamekeeper, for which he would be forever  
grateful.  
  
But the other students who were not first years wasn't going to Hogwarts the boat way -  
there were horse less carriages that waited to take them to the feast which begun the term. 


	2. The Thinking Cap

Chapter II // The Thinking Cap  
  
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Authors note: Second chapter, the plot has not really begun but I'm using the technic  
most authors love right now, I building up the story from base (even though most who  
will read this story already know the base things of Hogwarts and the Wizarding world.)  
The main plot thing is coming along just fine, wait and see. And don't laugh at the  
Sorting hat song, it took me ages to make the rhymes (and halting rhymes). A new oc has  
come to life here - Trent! All his (an the other oc's) guts belongs to me - the rest is J.K.  
Rowlings (but I would gladly take them if she offered them to me...)  
  
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Professor McGonagall were standing at the top of the stairs that led to the Great Hall;  
she did that every year - it was her job to tell the first years about the sorting and  
lead them into the hall.  
  
All the older students were already there, sitting around the school house tables  
chatting in groups about how their summer had been. James, Sirius and Remus had reunited  
with their friend Peter who they hadn't see on the train. Lily were sitting on the same  
table - the Gryffindor - but at the other end of the table, further away from the staff-  
table. Linda Verus, Lily's best friend, and Caroline Nimmy, their room mate, were sitting  
together. It was mostly Linda and Caroline who chatted about boys and all the aspects of  
a great male body.  
  
All she wanted were for the doors to open, to make all the chattering people stop. Lily  
were tired of talk. Almost the whole train ride she had heard Linda talk to Lucius Malfoy  
and Thomas Jacobs from Slytherin. She had left their compartment and seated herself with  
the "infamous" Marauders talking about the Sorting hat song. She didn't enjoy the song  
to much but it was better than to listen to how cute Steven Johnson's butt were.  
  
James looked over at Lily, she was looking bored again, he could only guess what was  
going on over there.  
  
'And then we noticed that Lily was there'  
  
'Which was a complete surprise - don't you agree James?' Sirius looked worried at James  
//he *IS* in love// 'Hey stop languish for the Flower, we're talking to you!' he said  
smiling playfully and pushed James' elbow of the table.  
  
'Sorry, I was just... eh..' he saw the look both Remus and Sirius gave him - even Peter  
did so 'Never mind...'  
  
The doors opened and Professor Minerva McGonagall entered with a groups of first year  
students. They tried to force their eyes to stay focused on the staff table, but it   
wasn't easy. Because the roof of the Great Hall in Hogwarts is enchanted, it looks  
exactly like the sky outside. One of the Ravenclaw girls James once dated had told him  
that it was written in the book "Hogwarts: A History". The sky were deep lilac and  
orange-pink, they sun were on it's way down. The hall were lit with hundreds and hundreds  
of living candles floating still in the air above their heads. It wasn't hard to  
understand that the first years couldn't stay focused.  
  
The Professor stepped up one stair to the podium on which the staff-table were located  
and turned around facing the new students. The old dusty hat on the chair next to her  
started to sing, a rip near the brim opened like a mouth:  
  
I am the cap that think quite well  
Not that any of my records would sell  
Old Masters Gryffindor and Slytherin  
Men that now not moves as much as a fin  
And old Mistress' Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff  
Can tell that I never been a bluff  
So into a house I will say which one  
I will read your thoughts, that will be fun  
If your heart is brave and you mind is strong  
To Gryffindor I send you within this song  
If your unafraid of toil, never leave your word  
It is to Hufflepuff you will fly little bird  
A mind ready for learning is in your head  
To the Ravenclaw house you will be lead  
But you might be determined and I won't contradict  
And then to Slytherin you will be picked  
So down on your head I will go,  
Where to put you I'll tell you so  
I think like no other cap  
I am the thinking hat  
  
The young students were delighted with all the magic - until they understood what this  
meant - the older ones almost turned over with laughter. McGonagall opened the scroll she  
had been handed by Headmaster Dumbledore after the song finished.  
  
'When I have read your name you will come up here and I will put the sorting hat upon  
your head - then you will be sorted into your houses.' the professor said and lifted  
the hat by the top. 'Adams, Gillian'  
  
A small boy stepped up, he looked scared. After only a few minuted the hat was finished  
thinking - 'HUFFLEPUFF!' it shouted. There were a loud applause from the Hufflepuff table.  
  
'Bent, Sarah'  
  
'RAVENCLAW!'  
  
'Bent, Sandra'  
  
'RAVENCLAW!'  
  
'Dawson, Jules'  
  
'GRYFFINDOR!'  
  
A lot of clapping followed all the sorting, this was the way it went on until all the  
students were sorted in. The last of the first years, Rodric Zorian became a Slytherin.  
When the sorting were finished the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore rose from his seat.  
  
'A new year at Hogwarts has now begun! The banquet will begin soon, I have just a few  
words to say: Ubelle! Dubbely! Krus!' The older students started to cheer and clap their  
hands as did the new ones. Some would say that Albus was a bit mad, but most agreed - the  
students and professors - first of all, that he was a genius.  
  
The dishes and plates in front of them were full of food, all kinds of food. The first  
years went 'Oooo!' and their eyes became as big as dining plates at the very sight of all  
the food which magically had appeared in front of them.   
  
***  
  
'The Song was lame this year' Remus said 'not as witty as last one - even worse that the  
year before last...'  
  
'Will you shut up already?' Sirius looked annoyed at Remus 'No one really cares of that  
song...'  
  
'I pity it, the cap,' said Peter 'think of what a boring existence it must be - thinking  
out a new song about the same thing ever year... And then sing it to everybody who makes  
fun out of it...'  
  
'But you must agree that the part of Hufflepuffs being birds was quite fun' James said  
looking at Peter who just sighed and shook his head.  
  
'Yeah, it was... but only a little. I'm happy I'm not a "thinking cap"' they all burst  
out in laughter - even Pettigrew himself. It was probably the mental image of Peter as  
a pointy hat on the head of some old silver haired and bearded wizard that made Sirius  
laugh even harder that he intended to from the beginning. Because after a while he were  
the only one still laughing - and so hysterically that he fell off the bench - almost  
all eyes in the hall were on him.  
  
***  
  
Lily were looking at Sirius who just stopped laughing. He was lying on the ground, face  
was red - probably from all the laughing. She saw that specific twitch in the corner of  
all the marauders mouths that meant that they could burst out laughing any minute. She  
wondered what had been so fun that it had made Sirius fall off the bench. But a fast  
glance over at her best friends Linda and Caroline faces told her that it would be a bad  
idea going over there and ask. Her friends never really liked the four boys that were  
called 'the Marauders'. Probably because both of them had been the subject of their pranks  
and both had probably had three of the four guys as subjects for crushes. Lily herself had  
never been in love with any of them and she had never felt that they hurt her with their  
pranks. She actually thought that they were a bunch of fun and nice people.  
  
As said before most of the Hogwarts students - and Professors for that matter - didn't  
like the four boys. It was they who caused the most trouble and mischief around the  
castle. Last term they had poured soap on the floor in the Great Hall just before the  
Halloween feast, three students and one grown up - this being the caretaker Mr. Filch -  
had broken their legs. It was after this "incident" that most people at Hogwarts stopped  
thinking their pranks were fun and started to think of them as dangerous.  
  
Of cause most of the girls had secret crushed on James, Sirius or Remus - there were  
also some that liked Peter, even though it's hard to believe when you first see him.  
Peter were a bit shorter than the rest, not ugly but not really good looking either. His  
hair was somewhat colourless, brownish grey - mousy if you like. Most of the girls  
claiming to be in love with him probably had other motives - as to get close to Remus  
who was the least out going of the marauders.  
  
Sirius never seemed to have a trouble finding a woman - neither did James.  
  
James and Sirius switched girlfriends every week, it was no idea trying to keep up with  
them. Most of James' girls were dumped nicely without anyone making to much of a fuss.  
Sirius on the other hand could be called a "drama queen" - if only he had been female. He  
tried to chose the most public spot and brake up by giving a reason that never favoured  
the girl. That's probably the reason while most of his girlfriends dumped him before  
they had been a couple for a week. Of cause this never troubled him or any of the other  
girls that he started to date after the dumping. There were almost lines of girls from  
all the houses ready to take the spot next to him as his girlfriend. It was this that  
probably troubled Lily Evens the most.  
  
***  
  
Sirius glanced ground in the hall at all the faces that was turned towards him, instead  
of his face turning more red that it was - it went back to it's normal pale colour. He rose  
and bowed. 'Thank you, thank you!' he said aloud and sat down again. Most of the students  
turned away and continued chatting and eating.  
  
Lily gave Sirius a questioning look that said "and-what-was-that-all-about", he smiled  
back at her as to say "later-Flower-later". This was enough for her and she turned back  
to her friends who now moved on from butts to eyes. Of cause Sirius Back with his deep  
black eyes were the first name to be mentioned by Caroline but Linda showed it off as it  
were yesterdays trash.  
  
'So you're over him?' Caroline said.  
  
'Of cause I am, he's sooo immature - just look what happened earlier!'  
  
'Who's it now then?' Linda didn't answer, she looked right through Caroline as she were  
air with a dreamy look. As to the girl turned to Lily who were sitting next to her.  
  
'The Slytherin prefect - Thomas Jacobs - she were talking to him and Malfoy the whole  
train ride.'  
  
'Really, he's kind of cute - don't you think?'  
  
'I never really bothered to look, after all... he's a Slytherin!'  
  
'Oh, common Lily!' she said louder that Lily had hoped because a few faces turned their  
way - including James' and the other marauders 'It's nothing wrong with him, he's really  
good looking!'  
  
'I guess so - yeah your probably right' she said in a low voice hoping that no one picked  
it up. But the look on James' face said that he had - of cause he had no idea of whom  
they spoke, which could seem like a relief - even though a very small one.  
  
***  
  
A fire was lit in the fireplace in the common room inside the Gryffindor tower. For the  
first time since the ride home before summer Lily and Linda had a "private" conversation.  
This one wasn't about boys in the same meaning as the one during the Term start feast,  
but of cause it was about boys - the four marauders to be precise.  
  
'I can't believe you left me there with those Slytherins!' Linda began 'Where were you?'  
  
'Well, I... I went talking to Remus and those guys. I was really bored.'  
  
'Why? I can't believe you even hang out with them!'  
  
'Why not? I think they are nice - at least Remus is.'  
  
'But still, you left me in a compartment with FIVE Slytherins!'  
  
'You would have done the same if you noticed the looks on James and Sirius faces.'  
  
'They were there? Out side?' Linda's voice had changed, Lily didn't know if she really  
liked this change. It was like she knew something Lily didn't.  
  
She nodded, 'In the corridor - what is it with you?'  
  
'Do you like James?' she asked without a warning.  
  
A sound sounded, Lily thought I probably was her own chock of the question. 'Weeeell...  
eh...' she felt kind of uneasy 'He's cute and all... but... I... I don't think so - no.  
Why would I be? - It's Potter you're talking about, get real!' She looked puzzled at her  
best friend. 'Why do you ask?'  
  
'No reason really.' Lily saw that Linda looked at something while she said that,  
slowly she turned around - just in time to see someone with messy black hair run up  
the stairs to the boys dormitories.  
  
The look which Lily gave Linda was hard to describe, mostly it told her to piss of.  
But she said nothing, she couldn't say anything, the words just got stuck in the  
throat. She rose and ran to her own room //he were there all along, all the time or  
just when she asked me? How could she do that? At least I didn't say that I am in love  
with him. Am I? With James Potter - hardly - if it had been Remus or Sirius I could  
have said yes - but James. I hope I didn't hurt him.//  
  
***  
  
'Prongs! I really think you should ask her out' Peter said when James entered the  
room he shared with Peter, Remus, Sirius and a another Gryffindor boy named Trent.  
All four of his roommates were in the room. Peter and Remus were playing wizards  
chess. - A game alike the muggle variant of it, but the chessmen were "alive" in the  
wizard sort, hitting the opposite chessmen out of the square and carrying them out  
so that the player don't need to do it. - Trent were on his bed reading a Quidditch  
magazine and Sirius were watching the chess game.  
  
'Who?' Trent asked looking up fro his magazine for the first time in 20 minutes.  
  
'Lily Evens' Remus said 'They would make a beautiful couple' to this Trent agreed.  
  
'Why would I even bother?' James answered looking cloudy. 'And I am quoting "Why  
would I be? - It's Potter you're talking about, get real!"'  
  
'She said that?' Sirius said. James just nodded and sat himself down on the window  
seal looking sad.  
  
'I actually thinks she likes you' they all looked at Trent, he had been one of Lily's  
closest friends since their first year. 'Well it's a thing girls say "get real" when  
they really meant that they meant the opposite of what they said.' the other four boys  
looked questioning at him 'I know it doesn't make sense but that's just pure fact.' James  
big puppy eyes was almost back to normal again.  
  
'Why does they do that?' Sirius asked confused 'Isn't that just stupid if everybody  
knows about it why can't they just say it straight out from the beginning?'  
  
'Well everybody doesn't know and most of the times when girls say what they don't mea  
is when they want to keep it secret - from everyone.'  
  
Remus started to laugh 'Well that was actually an obvious one.' he turned to the window  
and looked at his best friend 'I think you should ask her, use some of that Potter charm  
you got there and ask her out on a date.' 


End file.
